Environment – an inevitable force, so essential to all living organisms that their lives depend on it. Environment is a very complex system that forms our surroundings and conditions. It is something that consists of living and non-living organisms encompassed together. Environment is a vital and important resource for the survival and existence of man on earth. The world environment day is a very significant day that is observed by people across the world.

The theme for this year’s environment day being hosted in Cote d’ Ivorie (Ivory coast) is - ‘Solution to Plastic Pollution’. The theme selected for this year has a lot to do with current situation, possibilities and difficulties that man can face, if pollution and harmful activities keep increasing. Environment is a silent soul of mankind, without those green plants, and tall trees, man cannot call earth as our home. The primary aim of observing such a day is to spread awareness about the environment and the need to protect it.

Our school - ICSK (Khaitan) has taken up an initial step to reduce the use of plastics by avoiding the usage of chocolates that are given on birthdays. This is an initiative to reduce the wrappers being thrown away and to promote other items instead of chocolates, like dates, stationary items etc. Another step taken by our school was the plantation of small saplings in some designated areas for each classes. It was a promising and successful initiative, it is still being continued. Another step that was taken few years back was the recycling of plastic items, and providing separate bins for them. All these events were led by our honorable Principal and teachers.

During the pandemic period, our school asked us to plant two or three saplings, wherever we were and then take a picture and send back to the school. This scheme was named as ‘Flora Snap’ and it proved to be an effective method as many students had participated in it. In our home during lockdown we used the waste plastic materials to make other innovative, creative and useful items (Best out of waste). It was actually a great boon to us as we were bored during those days. Our school also conducts monthly activities called the ‘Pentagon of Values’. Each month we are allotted to complete a task that boosts our values and ideas, it also promotes eco-friendly projects and plans. In our house we didn’t have a balcony to grow plants, so we grew indoor plants like avocado, money plant, Chinese green and many more. Actually avocado is not an indoor plant but still it grows well.

Scientists from different countries across the world have conducted many researches and experiments to find a solution for pollution. There have been many ideas, but still it is ‘us – people’ who should take the initiative of utilizing these available methods in reducing the pollution. It is not only “we people” but the entire leaders, officials and high ranking ministers, who too should take a great leap forward to bring a change. It is the decision of every factory owner, every industrialist and every businessman to limit the amount of toxic gasses and tones of wastes being dumped into the environment.

We too can be a part of protecting our environment by trying to reduce the pollution in our daily life activities, such as reducing the usage of car, and stopping the burning of waste materials and many other small steps. Many people think that water and air pollution are the highest contributors of ‘total pollution’, but other than that, plastic pollution and soil pollution too cause as much damage as the other two can. Many people consider the water sources as a place to dump plastic and other wastes. Over time plastic has become an indispensable item in our household. Even though researchers have found various ways to reuse and recycle plastic, none of them have proven to be hundred percent efficient and without side effects. A very common method used in many countries especially in India, is that the plastic materials are initially burned and thus forms a strong binding and later they are mixed with bitumen and used for road layering. But the catch in it is that after many years these plastics degrade and mix with the soil thus polluting the ground water present.

A very common and frequently used method across the world is renewable energy, many countries especially the North West European countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Netherlands have all made renewable energy as their prime source of consumption in all major industries. This approach is not much used in large economies across the world due the efficiency being low and cost being high, as compared with fossil fuel which is widely used.

Nowadays many states across India have banned the use of plastic and has made a commencement to the use of alternative solutions like paper and cloth items. But still we humans are not ready to avoid plastic and limit its usage. It is not only us but it is also the duty of entrepreneurs from different countries to come forward and make a difference.

‘Beat plastic and save environment!!’